UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half against Nebraska last year. The Bruins’ 36-30 victory over the No. 16 Cornhuskers served as a foundation for their success on and off the field. Photo by Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press

Myles Jack remembers sitting at home with his mother, staring at the television as the UCLA football team walked into the Rose Bowl to take on No. 16 Nebraska.

He had already given a verbal commitment to the Bruins in June, announcing in a subdued ceremony that didn’t even include a row of hats on a table. Still, schools kept calling him, hoping to sway the four-star recruit.

After Sept. 8, 2012, none of them had a chance.

UCLA stunned college football fans that day, knocking off the Cornhuskers 36-30. Broadcast nationally on FOX, the upset was seen by 4.3 million people.

“That was what solidified my commitment to UCLA,” said the Bruins linebacker, then a two-way star at Washington’s Bellevue High. “That game right there really kind of ended my recruiting process.”

Jack had his doubts heading into that Saturday. The coaching staff had told him it would be a good game, that they expected a win, but … well, it was still Nebraska. The Cornhuskers were — and still are — one of the most well-known programs in the country, one with five national championships and more than 800 victories. Their streak of sellouts at Memorial Stadium, now at 327, is the longest in the country.

UCLA, on the other hand, had little worth celebrating. Over the past nine years, it had gone through two head coaches who combined for three winning seasons. Its new one, Jim Mora, was a backup choice whose arrival met only skepticism. One local columnist wrote the longtime NFL coach “will need every break to go his way to have a chance for success.”

The Bruins had beaten Rice 49-24 in their season opener, but few regarded the Owls as a formidable opponent. Las Vegas pegged Nebraska as a 4.5-point favorite, a margin that many thought generous toward the Bruins.

But Mora had already started instilling change in Westwood. He abolished old practices such as “over the wall,” in which seniors organized a ditch day leading up to their bowl game. He hired strong assistants, filling his staff with a mix of NFL and college experience. He quickly pulled in a vaunted recruiting class, ranked No. 13 in the country by Rivals.com.

Most importantly, he convinced the Bruins — who had plenty of talent on the roster — that they could be a real contender.

“Last season was really about establishing a new identity,” defensive lineman Owamagbe Odighizuwa said. “We knew in order to do that, we had to get some wins against some big-time opponents.”

That opportunity came when Nebraska flew to Los Angeles. The Cornhuskers seized a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, but the Bruins didn’t break. Their offense rolled up 653 yards, responding to every Nebraska score. The defense surprised, keeping Nebraska from converting a third down until the fourth quarter.

When UCLA’s Datone Jones pulled down quarterback Taylor Martinez for a safety with 8:44 to play, the Bruins had a 29-27 lead they would not relinquish.

“We really took that game very seriously,” Odighizuwa says. “It was the second game. People were watching. ‘Who is UCLA? Are they the team of the old, of the past, or are they a new team?’ We really shocked a lot of people.”

Fans took it to heart. Mora and his players say they noticed more buzz around the program after that win, both around campus and in the community.

“They were excited. They were surprised,” Odighizuwa says. “Their respect for Coach Mora got even bigger. They just saw a different team. They just saw a new mentality, enthusiasm — something they’d been missing for years.”

That hope has extended into this season, one that has UCLA favored to repeat as Pac-12 South champions. Billboards warning that “THE BRUINS ARE COMING” have gone up all over the Los Angeles area. Meanwhile, crosstown rival USC — which had embarrassed UCLA with a 50-0 beating in 2011 — could be looking for a new coach in a few months.

There are physical signs of change. The Bruins’ Spaulding Field, long maligned for being just 80 yards long, now has black fences. A UCLA football flag flies in the northwest corner. Plans for a new football facility are in the works too.

“Bruin Revolution” has become the team’s mantra, one painted in their locker rooms and pushed out frequently on social media. Above all else, Mora introduced a culture that fostered self-confidence. The victory over the Cornhuskers made sure everyone else knew it too.

“I knew Coach Mora and the staff were going to turn this place around,” Clark said. “I knew it was the place for me.”

“It showed me that UCLA was going to be doing big things moving forward,” Jack said. “I wanted to be a part of that.”

Jack Wang covers the Chargers, the latest NFL team to relocate to Los Angeles. He previously covered the Rams, and also spent four years on the UCLA beat, a strange period in which the Bruins' football program often outpaced their basketball team. He is a proud graduate of UC Berkeley, where he spent most of his time in The Daily Californian offices in Eshleman Hall — a building that did not become earthquake-safe until after his time on campus.